You'll Never Walk Alone
by PeggsterLover
Summary: Before Cobalt, Brandt helped IMF bring down a dangerous criminal gang. Now the gang is back, killing the agents involved one by one. Can the team protect Brandt? And will the analyst be able to prevent his friends from getting caught in the crossfire?
1. Chapter 1

_So I'm sure all you Brandt girls will like this one (well, I hope you will anyway haha!) just another shameless excuse for whumping on our boys xD _

_Also, the title is relevant as the words will be a bit of a recurring topic in a sense...  
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_Enjoy!_

_And nope :( they're still not mine…_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt sat on the sofa of his apartment watching the soccer game. He wasn't exactly a big sports fan, come to think of it he couldn't remember the last game he'd watched, but Benji's team were playing and he'd promised the tech that he'd give it a try. He didn't really understand much, but he got the basic gist. The team in red, which was the one Benji supported, were currently ahead, beating the team in blue by two points. Or goals. Yeah, that was it. Goals.

His phone vibrated on the sofa next to him and when Brandt lifted it, he saw that the text was from said technician.

"So whatcha think so far? We're gonna kick Chelsea's arse! xD YNWA!"

Brandt tilted his head at the text before bringing his fingers to the keypad and writing his reply.

"What does YNWA mean?"

He smiled and put his phone down again, however clearly the tech was on the ball with the texts tonight, no pun intended, and his phone vibrated merely twenty seconds later.

"Have you not been paying attention? O.o YNWA is You'll Never Walk Alone… my team's motto…."

Brandt bit his lip guiltily. He did remember Benji telling him that. Well, not so much telling him, but singing it to him.

"_So you promise? You're gonna watch it?"_

"_Yes, Benji. I promise." The tech threw his fist into the air and let out a small 'yes!' before grabbing his jacket to leave IMF HQ. _

"_Don't forget. You'll never walk alone." Benji said with a wink. _

"_Huh?" Brandt was completely lost. _

"_You'll never wa… it's the motto and anthem for Liverpool." When Brandt remained confused, Benji laughed and shook his head before turning to the door and beginning to sing. "When you walk through a storm hold your head up high, and don't be afraid of the dark…"_

Brandt sat up in his spot and put his beer down, ready to send his apology but as he was halfway through typing the words 'my bad', his phone vibrated again. This time, however, it was a phone call from an unknown number. Staring at the device for a few moments, he blinked a couple of times before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Will? That you?" the man's voice sounded hushed and hurried.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"It's Daniel Beckingham. We worked together a few years ago…"

Brandt mouthed the man's name as he tried to remember and suddenly he remembered. "Oh my goodness, Daniel! How are you? I've not seen you since… well, since the Steiner mission."

"Heh, yeah. Well funnily enough, that is why I'm calling." Brandt was slightly thrown by this.

"Why? What is it?"

"Will… they're back. They're after us…"

"'After us'? Who's us?" Brandt asked. "And who are 'they'?" he wasn't sure what Daniel was going on about. All of a sudden, there was a loud crash from the other end of the phone line. "Daniel? What the hell is-"

"Shit! Will, I've gotta go." Daniel was whispering now. "Watch your back, man. You're the analyst. Be caref-" The next thing Brandt heard was the sound of the phone hitting the ground and the line became distorted by what sounded like gunfire. "Daniel?" there was a few moments of silence before someone picked up the phone. "Daniel?"

"Who is this?" a strange voice drifted down the phone, causing Brandt's heart to race. He immediately ended the call.

What the hell was going on?

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Samuel Andrews stood with the phone in his hand, staring at it when the line had gone dead. Another man walked up behind him, stepping over Daniel's lifeless body as he did.

"Who was that?" he asked. Samuel looked at the phone and saw the caller ID.

"William Brandt." He smirked. "Just the man we're looking for."

"We gonna get him next?" the man asked eagerly, but Samuel shook his head.

"No, Den. We'll just shake him up a bit first."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Sorry the first one was only short but I hope it was ok. Little fact for ya here: I initially put Liverpool as the team Benji supported because that's my football team, however halfway through writing it, I suddenly remembered that Simon Pegg used to support Liverpool too before he decided he hated football :P rather fitting then, I guess. Also, kudos to anyone who spots the other Pegg reference…. LOL_

_Much love x_


	2. Chapter 2

_So this isn't all that long either, but I hope it's good enough :)_

_Anywho, enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"So?" Brandt shook his head and turned to Benji, who was walking next to him. When had he appeared?

"So what?"

"What did ya think?" the tech grinned, hoping Brandt would exclaim about football being the greatest thing since sliced bread and that he wanted to support Liverpool until the day he died.

"About what?" the analyst gave a distant look.

"The match?" Benji's eyes widened slightly as he raised his eyebrows, waiting for a response. When he didn't get one, his brow furrowed and his head cocked to the side. Brandt was miles away. Sure, he was more the brooding type than Benji was, but this was far from his usual levels of brooding. "What's bothering you?"

"Huh?" Brandt stared into the tech's blue eyes as the pair stopped walking.

"Brandt…" Benji pried. Brandt didn't know what to do. He knew that telling him would only cause the team to worry about him. He didn't want to be treated like some baby, wrapped up in cotton wool so nothing could happen to him. After ending the phone call the previous night, Brandt had thought on what Daniel had said.

"_They're after us." _

He had also said he had been calling about the Steiner case. It had taken him a while to register the connection, but he soon put two and two together to get a very, very bad result. If Daniel was telling the truth, and had indeed been murdered – as it clearly sounded like – then surely that couldn't mean…

"Brandt?" he blinked a few times and looked at the tech, who was waving his hand in front of Brandt's face. "What's going on in there, man? Talk to me…"

Brandt forced a smile. "Nothing, nothing. I guess I'm just tired from watching the match last night." At mention of the match, Benji grinned and appeared to completely forget their discussion to go on a rave about how well his team had played. Brandt had known that would happen, knowing that mention of the game would easily switch what was in the tech's mind. Brandt just hoped that Benji didn't expect him to regurgitate the final result, because the analyst had, in fact, turned the TV off after his bizarre phone call.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt tried to make it through the day without letting last night's phone call get to him, however it was hard to keep his conversation with Daniel out of his mind, along with the horrific gunshots that had threatened to deafen him. Thankfully, the team were merely filling out paperwork on their last mission for the day, so he wasn't going to risk getting himself or his friends killed in the field. But that didn't make it any easier. He had almost made some frustrating mistakes in his documentation due to his mind being elsewhere, resulting in a frown across the room from Ethan. After the fourth exclamation of "Shit!" from the analyst, accompanied by a piece of paper thrown at the bin – which missed spectacularly and hit Benji in the back of the head, again – Ethan finally approached him.

"Hey, Brandt. Can I talk to you for a second?" Brandt took in a deep breath and nodded reluctantly, following him into the corridor outside the room.

"What's up, Ethan?" Brandt leaned against the wall, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible.

"What's up? What's up is that I have an agent who keeps making mistakes, getting distracted and drifting away into another world when he's supposed to be working. Not to mention your aim is appalling today and I'm sure Benji will agree with me there."

"Look, I just…" Brandt stumbled over his words, not knowing what to say. He hadn't been able to tell Benji and he most certainly was not about to tell Ethan. It was probably nothing, but he wanted to make sure before he told them. "I had a late night last night. Couldn't sleep. I guess I'm just over tired." Ethan nodded at this, however his facial expression read differently. But he didn't pry.

"Well, why don't you head off early? I'm sending Benji home at about four to get some rest. You know he needs it after that blow he took the other day." Brandt nodded, his mind immediately showing him Benji's unconscious form lying at the feet of their target. "Leave with him. I'm sure you'll owe him a drink or something after hitting him with all that paper in there." Brandt smiled softly and nodded.

"I just gotta make a phone call, that ok?" Brandt asked. Ethan nodded and headed back inside as Brandt pulled out his phone. Dialling a number, he put the phone to his ear.

"_Hi, this is Robina Lewis, I can't take your call right now, please leave a message."_

"Hey, Robina, it's William Brandt here. Can you give me a call? Thanks." Hanging up, he was about to go back when he thought on something. Dialling another number, he listened in.

"_You've called Brendan Jackson. I'm afraid I can't get to the phone right now but-" _Brandt hung up and tried another number.

_"This is the voicemail for Dale Milner. I am currently unavailable so ple-" _Brandt inhaled sharply before pocketing his phone. As Brandt re-entered the room, he was hit square in the face with a scrunched up ball of paper.

"You've still got two more where that came from, by the way, Agent Brandt." Benji's voice travelled across the room, the smile evident in his voice as Jane tried to snuff out her giggles. Clearly all of this paperwork was getting to them. Hopefully that would mean they wouldn't pay too much attention to Brandt's inner struggle, which was clearly more obvious than he intended it to be.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_So whatcha think? :)_

_Much love x_


	3. Chapter 3

_Ok, sorry the chapters in this are so short… But I hope they're worth it… LOL_

_Anywho this is where our baddies make their first move… I'm glad you Brandt-girls are liking this so far. I'm sure you're aware I will be whumping on my own boy a fair bit in this too, but I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I will do more than 'cactus' your boy ;) inside joke… lol_

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

At precisely four o'clock, Ethan ushered both Benji and Brandt out of the room and told them to go and relax. He didn't need his agents over tired or stressed. He needed them to be sharp and prepared, ready in case another mission was spontaneously thrown on them. Once they were outside, Brandt turned to Benji.

"Wanna grab a beer at my place?"

"Sure, why not." The tech grinned as they walked to their respective cars, making their way back to Brandt's apartment. They made their way up to his home, discussing the match from the previous night and how Liverpool were supposed to be playing some team called West Ham in a match that was known as a friendly… Brandt really needed to brush up on his knowledge of this stuff. As they reached the door to Brandt's apartment, Benji suddenly froze.

"Brandt… did you leave your door open this morning?" Brandt looked up and was horrified to see that his front door was ajar; not the way he left it as he had left for work. Holding out an arm, pushing Benji behind him protectively, he pulled out his gun and slowly crept to the door. Benji followed behind him, pulling out his own weapon as Brandt gave the door a small push. As it opened, the pair burst in, holding out their weapons in front of them. The apartment was trashed, furniture turned upside down, items broken, curtains torn and strewn across the room. As Benji checked the kitchen and dining room, Brandt made his way into the bedroom, finding it in much the same way. However, amongst the destroyed pillows and the down that covered the bed, he saw a piece of paper. Checking that Benji wasn't behind him, he lifted the item into his hands and read it. His heart dropped as he did so, realising exactly what was going on.

He suddenly heard a startled yelp from Benji in the other room followed by a simultaneous gunshot and a thud, leaving the analyst terrified that whoever trashed his apartment was still there. He pocketed the note and ran into the kitchen area, seeing Benji climbing to his feet and staring through the open door of Brandt's dining room.

"Benji, are you ok?" he walked around and looked into the dining room, seeing what had left Benji so shocked. Set up in the doorway was a very extravagant looking contraption containing a gun. It looked like it had been arranged so that when the door was opened, a piece of string connected to it would pull on the trigger. "Jesus…" he glanced at Benji, who was breathing rapidly and slowly controlling his shaking body. The tech was lucky he was quick, otherwise Brandt would have had to explain how his friend ended up getting shot in the analyst's own apartment.

"What the hell is going on, Brandt? Cos it seems an awful lot like someone just tried to kill you…" fear stricken blue eyes locked onto Brandt's own as Benji spoke, his voice wavering as the shock of just how lucky he had been set in.

"I… I haven't got a clue, Benji." Brandt lied. "Honestly." He hated lying to his friends, but he knew that the second he told them someone was trying to kill him, they would try to protect him. He didn't want them getting themselves in the way. He knew that these men would stop at nothing to get to him, even if that meant killing Benji, Ethan and Jane to do so. He knew he would probably have to tell them at some point, but that could wait. He wanted to try and sort things out first. He would only get his team involved if it came to the last straw.

Which hopefully it wouldn't.

"Brandt, you wanna crash at my place tonight? I'll set up the spare bed so you don't have to stay here. Ok?" Brandt turned to Benji, who was giving him one of those heartfelt looks that made you crumble at the sight, and nodded.

"I'll grab my things."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"Are you fucking stupid?" Samuel screeched at Denny down the phone. He was so loud that the other men in Denny's car could hear. "I thought I told you to scare him, not kill him!"

"Well, I know that boss, but-"

"No! No 'buts'! I tell you to shake him up and you put a fucking gun in his house? We need him alive remember?"

"Yes sir." Denny spoke with a high level of embarrassment in his voice, looking at Leo in the passenger seat who gave him a sympathetic look.

"Right." Samuel sighed. "Have they left the apartment yet?"

"No sir, but I… wait… I can see them. They're coming out now."

"Both of them are alive then?"

"Yes sir. They're carrying some bags though. Looks like he's going somewhere."

"Right, follow them and call me when you get there. I'll come and meet you. We'll give him a good scare this time."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_So how was that? Still doing ok, seeing as it one of my first Brandt centric stories… LOL I haven't forgotten the note, don't worry, we'll get to see what it says in the next chapter… after some serious whump on our boys ;) teeheehee_

_Much love x_


	4. Chapter 4

_So this one is quite a bit longer than the last chapters and hopefully more intense :P_

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Benji pulled up his car outside the house. His apartment was being renovated so he was staying at a friend's place.

"You're sure your friend won't mind me staying?" Brandt asked as they walked up the driveway.

"Yeah, he's not even here, anyway." Benji explained, pulling out the key to the door. "He's off in Hawaii with Grace. A little pre-wedding getaway and all that. Said I could use the house while they were away." He shrugged and pushed the door open, letting Brandt go first as he checked the street before entering and closing the door behind them. Once they were settled in the front room, Brandt dumped his bags on the floor and flopped onto the sofa.

"How about that beer?" Benji asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Brandt smiled and waited until Benji was out of the room before rubbing his hands over his face. What had he got himself into? Whatever it was, he had now got Benji into it too, which made things worse. The tech had almost been killed because of something Brandt had hoped to forget. What made the analyst feel even more on edge was the fact that it wasn't going to end there. These men would not give up until Brandt was dead.

Standing up, he began to pace across the room by the window. He needed to figure out what to do. Option one was to not tell the team. That way, they wouldn't have to worry about him while he would have his own room to figure things out. Option two was tell the team and let them worry. The only problem with that was, them being there would cause a threat to the men who were after Brandt. This made him worry that they would use his friends as leverage to get to him. He thought on Benji, remembering the fear that had taken over him the moment he had heard the gunshot back at his apartment. He could not face losing him or any of the others. The final option, which was the one that he disliked the most, was handing himself over to them. However he wondered what that would do to the team. As he paced, he remembered the piece of paper in his pocket. Stopping, he reached into his jeans to pull it out, however stopped when he heard Benji coming.

"Hey." The tech said as he entered the room, two beers in his hands. Brandt looked up and smiled, however the younger man's face dropped as his eyes locked on something behind the analyst. "Brandt! Move!"

Brandt turned to see headlights of a car through the window, barely having enough time to throw himself out of the way as the SUV burst through the side of the house. The sound of smashing windows filled the room as the vehicle reversed and Benji threw the bottles of beer to the floor, rushing to help Brandt to his feet.

"Are you ok?" he grabbed the analyst's hand as the pair rushed to a spot where they couldn't be seen. Both agents pulled out their guns, Brandt brushing some glass off his jacket as they crept back to the window. Everything had gone quiet, making them wonder if the car had gone. Brandt peered around the edge when suddenly gunshots began to sound, causing him to quickly hide again. There was too many of them; they couldn't fight them off alone.

"Shit… Benji stay back and call Ethan. Get him over here now. We need backup." Benji nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Be careful!" Benji shouted over the gunfire before disappearing back into the kitchen. Brandt grasped his gun and readied it before reaching around the wall and shooting out of the open window. Bullet after bullet, he emptied his magazine, hearing a man cry out as one hit its target.

Benji rushed into the kitchen and dialled Ethan's number.

"Hey Benji."

"Ethan! Get over here now! We got guys shooting up the place!"

"Whoa, wait, where are you? Are you at your friends' house?"

"Yeah!"

"We'll be right there. Don't do anything stupid!" the line went dead and Benji placed his phone into his pocket before checking that he had enough rounds to help Brandt.

When the trigger on his gun no longer dispensed another bullet, Brandt had to think fast. He had more ammo; however it was in his bag on the other side of the window. He would have to cross the firing line, open and an easy target, in order to reach it. Taking a deep breath, he made his move, running as fast as he could, feeling the burning sensation of a bullet grazing the back of his shoulder as he went. He dived for his bag and hit the floor with a thud, feeling tiny shards of glass dig into the palms of his hands, but he ignored the pain as he searched his bag for the extra bullets. Once he had replaced the empty magazine, he stood up and made his way back to the window. He cocked the gun and was about to make another attack when he heard a smash from the kitchen. It sounded like a window.

_Shit! Benji! _

He wanted to run to his friend to see what had happened, however the gunfire began to get a lot closer and he knew he had to stop these guys from getting any closer. He turned and fired a few more rounds out of the window until suddenly their attackers stopped altogether.

"Hello Agent Brandt." A menacing voice came from behind him and Brandt turned to see Samuel Andrews standing in the doorway of the kitchen with his arm wrapped around Benji's throat and holding a gun to his temple. Brandt raised his weapon and aimed at Samuel's head but the man raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." He motioned towards Benji with his eyes and the analyst looked at his friend. Other than a thin trail of blood running from a small cut at his hairline, he seemed ok, however he looked terrified. "I'll make you a deal. You agree to come with me and I'll let your friend here go." Brandt glanced between Benji and Samuel, feeling completely useless. Benji managed to shake his head, despite the tight grip the man had on his neck. Brandt knew that Benji didn't want the analyst to trade his life for the tech, however Brandt was not about to watch his friend be abducted or killed.

Before he could say anything, gunfire started up again outside, causing all three men to alter their attention to Ethan and Jane as they fired their weapons at the four men in the street. Brandt turned back to Samuel, who wasn't sure what was going on. Suddenly, he began to retreat, pulling Benji backwards.

"I guess we'll have to cut this lovely meeting short, Agent Brandt. But don't think I won't be back. Think on what I said, now, won't you? Or I may have to come back for your little friend." With that, he gave Benji a shove, sending the tech tumbling forwards as Samuel disappeared into the kitchen. Brandt rushed to Benji's side but the younger man brushed him off.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Brandt nodded and made his way to the kitchen, gun at the ready. When he got there, however, Samuel had gone. Gritting his teeth together, he returned to the living area, finding Ethan and Jane inside checking on Benji.

"Brandt, what the hell was that all about?" Benji asked. Brandt knew he had every right to be both upset and confused.

"What happened?" Ethan stood and approached Brandt, who began to explain the events that had transpired since they left work. As he reached the part where Samuel had taken Benji hostage, the tech piped up.

"You forgot to mention that he tried to make a deal, Brandt." It was evident in the Brit's voice that Benji could tell Brandt was hiding something. Ethan looked from the tech to Brandt.

"Deal?"

Brandt took in another deep breath before answering. There was no way he could keep things quiet now. "Benji for me."

"What?" Jane finally joined the conversation now that she knew Benji was ok.

"He said he'd let Benji go if I went with him."

Ethan stepped closer to Brandt, that well known intense expression on his face. "And why did he want you?" looking between his three friends, he sighed, knowing it was time to come clean.

"Before I met you, when I was still an analyst, I helped a team of IMF agents bring down a dangerous group of men. These men were involved in human trafficking and it had resulted in a few suspicious deaths. We succeeded and that was that." He sat down on the arm of the sofa, feeling three sets of eyes on him waiting for him to continue. "Last night I got a phone call from one of the agents I had worked with, Daniel Beckingham. He said "they're back' and that they were 'after us'. I wasn't sure what it meant at first, but then I heard a crash and some gunfire. After that, Daniel just stopped talking."

"So that was why you were distracted today." Ethan stated the fact and Brandt nodded.

"When I had to make that phone call, I phoned the other three members of the team, but none of them answered. I wondered if maybe Daniel had been referring to the men we brought down but I couldn't be sure. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily in case it wasn't true. But then Benji and I went to my apartment and found it trashed. There was a gun set up to fire when one of the doors was opened – Benji found that out first hand." Benji nodded at this, an unreadable expression on his face. Brandt reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. "There was also a note on my bed." He handed the note to Ethan and he read it aloud.

"Dear Agent Brandt. You may not remember me, but I remember you. By now, you may or may not know that Daniel Beckingham is dead, along with the rest of his tenacious team that you helped a few years back. This is merely a warning. I will be back for you. I'll be seeing you soon. SA."

Jane looked up at Brandt from her spot next to Benji. "Who's SA?"

"Samuel Andrews. The man who was in here holding a gun to Benji's head a few minutes ago."

"But I don't understand." Benji spoke up. "Why kill the others, but want to take you instead?"

Brandt thought on that. It was a genuinely good question. Why would he kill the other agents but want to abduct the analyst.

Then it hit him.

"_Watch your back, man. You're the analyst." _

"Because I'm an analyst. Well, was." Brandt understood now.

"All the information you know, they could use it to their advantage." Ethan agreed. "Brandt, Benji, did Samuel say anything else before he left?"

"He told me to think on his offer otherwise he'd come back for Benji." Brandt looked down at the tech, who glanced between the trio. All eyes were on him now and he felt like he just wanted to sink into the floor.

"Please don't tell me I'm gonna be under house arrest or something…" the tech whined.

"You both are." Ethan explained. "Until we stop these guys, we need to keep an extra close eye on you both. Neither of you go anywhere without one of us with you. Understood?" both agents nodded in agreement. "Right. I'll call IMF and get a safehouse arranged for us. Seeing as neither of your places are in a fit state, the four of us will stay together."

As they made their way outside to get in Ethan's car, Brandt grabbed Benji's arm.

"Benji, I am so sorry that you got involved in all of this."

"Brandt, it's ok. Honestly. We'll get through this, ok?" Brandt nodded reluctantly, hoping that his friend was right. They climbed into the back of the car and Benji pulled out his phone. He pressed the keypad and clicked send, causing Brandt's phone to vibrate a few seconds later.

When Brandt pulled out his mobile, he read the four letters on the text.

YNWA.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Hope that wasn't too corny, but I wanted to have Benji reminding Brandt that he shouldn't have to be alone in this. He has his friends._

_Well let me know what you thought xD_

_Much love x_


	5. Chapter 5

_Wow! I'm glad you are all enjoying this so far :) it makes me smile reading all of your lovely reviews. You guys are all amazing!_

_Anywho, enjoy this!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

IMF sorted Ethan out with a four bedroom house far away from busy streets so that they could tell if someone was heading their way. Benji and Brandt had the two central rooms so that they weren't out of the way, however Ethan and Jane agreed to sleep in the main living area so that they could keep an eye on the doors. They took their things into their rooms and set themselves up, before heading to the kitchen for a drink while tending to the two agent's wounds.

"What the hell am I gonna do about the house?" Benji was the first to speak since they arrived. He looked up to his team, who were all watching him. "I mean, how do I explain that to my friends?"

"We'll get it sorted, Benji." Ethan offered a small smile. "Don't worry." Benji nodded at this, taking a sip of his drink as the room fell silent. The reality of the situation was still setting in for them. Someone was out to get Brandt and now Benji was being used as leverage to get to him. That worried Ethan, as he knew how strongly Brandt cared for the tech. They were best friends. He knew that the analyst would give himself up in a heartbeat to save Benji; he had a feeling that had he and Jane not got to Benji's house as quick as they did, Brandt would have taken that deal.

As Ethan looked at Brandt, he couldn't quite tell what was going through his mind. The expression on his face was hard to decipher, however he had a feeling he was probably weighing up his options.

"Brandt, we're gonna get you through this, ok?" he offered, hoping to reassure his friend that they were there for him. "We won't let anything happen. We're gonna stop these guys and-"

"How can you be sure?" Brandt's response was brash and blunt as he shot a glance at the team leader. "Will you be saying that when they've got Benji and are threatening to kill him unless I agree to go with them?" somewhere in the room, Benji's sharp intake of breath could be heard at this frank statement.

"Well, we just have to make sure it doesn't come to that." Jane chimed in. He did have a point, however she wanted to be optimistic about it.

"We can try, Jane, but I need you guys to promise me. If it ever comes to that, and Benji's life is on the line, you have to promise me you'll let me go with them." Brandt looked across the room at his three teammates. He could see that none of them wanted to make the agreement. They didn't want anything happening to Benji, but at the same time, they would not let Brandt give his own life. The room was so quiet for too long. No one knew what to say. Brandt decided to break the silence. "Please…"

With that, Benji stood up. "I'm sorry Brandt, but I cannot do that. I won't have you giving yourself up for me. I won't let you do that." He threw them all a heartbreaking look before disappearing into his room and slamming the door behind him. Brandt tore his eyes away from the door and found Ethan and Jane staring at him. None of them could find the right words to say at that moment.

What could they say?

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

That night, Brandt's dreams were filled with images of Samuel and Benji. He watched as the man tortured the tech right in front of him, hurting him in unimaginable ways until he lost consciousness, only to wake him up so that he could start again. No matter how much Brandt pleaded and begged, telling him that he could do anything he wanted to him, Samuel just wouldn't listen. He saw Benji's blood pooling on the floor and could do nothing to stop it.

He was slightly relieved when he began to stir, not having to see those horrific and haunting images anymore, however when he realised what had woken him, he began to panic. There was a hand covering his mouth and, as his vision cleared, he saw that Samuel was standing over him with a gun. His eyes darted around the room, but before he could make any move, his attacker leant down and whispered into his ear.

"I wouldn't try anything, if I were you. I've got two of my men nextdoor keeping an eye on your friend, Benji, is it? One step out of line and he gets a bullet in his head.

Sure enough, in the room adjacent to Brandt's, two men stood over the bed, one was pinning Benji's arms down while the other had a hand slammed over his mouth and a gun pressed into his forehead. The tech was terrified, knowing that Samuel was probably in there with Brandt now and once the analyst found out what was happening in Benji's room, he would agree to go with them. This was not good.

Brandt feared for Benji. Did he know that the men were in there? Or was he still sleeping, peacefully unaware that two armed men stood over him, waiting for a command? He had to agree to it. He couldn't let Benji be killed. He nodded, which was rather difficult with the hand clamped down on his mouth. Samuel smiled.

"Well that's good to know." He reached into his pocket and, after a bit of fumbling, he managed to balance the gun while holding up a syringe. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He motioned to the syringe in his hand and Brandt shook his head. He didn't want to be drugged. He would go willingly. "Good boy."

Outside the room, Ethan suddenly sat bolt upright.

"What's wrong?" Jane said, looking up from her spot where she was taking turn at sitting watch.

"I dunno… something doesn't feel right…" Ethan stood up and approached Brandt's door. He was horrified to see Samuel leading the analyst to the window, a gun jabbing into his back. "Hey!" Samuel turned around, pulled Brandt back into him.

"Ah, another meeting finishing too early. See you soon William. You will come with me next time. I guarantee it." Samuel fired his gun in Ethan's direction, just missing the agent as he pushed Brandt forwards and climbed out of the window. Brandt's head hit the bedside table as he went down but he was up in an instant, rushing past Ethan and out of the door.

"Brandt, what the-"

"Benji!" he exclaimed, throwing open the door of Benji's room to find the tech quickly being released from the grasp of two men, who then rushed to the window and disappeared. Brandt hurried to Benji's side, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?" the tech nodded as he tried to sit upright, throwing the covers off himself and climbing out of the bed. After being held down to it just moments before, he didn't want to be there any longer. While studying the large red mark that was forming on Brandt's forehead, Benji ran his hands through his short blonde hair, not knowing what to make of the situation. Jane walked into the room and stood behind Ethan.

"What just happened?"

"Samuel was here and he was about to take Brandt." Ethan explained, not taking his eyes off the analyst.

"What?" Benji let his hands drop to his sides. "So, you-you were just gonna go with him?"

"Benji, he told me that he had his men in here ready to kill you. I assume he wasn't lying, seeing as I definitely saw two guys climbing out of that window just now." He pointed to the window and found himself almost glaring at the tech. "What was I supposed to do, Benji? Just sit there and let them kill you? Besides, even if that happened, do you really think that they would have just let me go once you were dead?" Benji opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the right words.

No one spoke for a few moments. Silence took over the room like a cloud of smoke; it drifted in and stole each occupant's voice, rendering them unable to form even the slightest of noises. Ethan and Jane were even more worried. The first time, Samuel and his men had trashed Brandt's apartment. The second was closer, attacking him in Benji's home leading to Samuel using Benji as a hostage to try and get Brandt to go with them. Now, they had been even closer again, with Samuel threatening to kill Benji to the point where Brandt was actually prepared to let them take him. Things were getting worse and worse; Ethan was terrified of what would happen next time Samuel made a move. They needed to think up a plan. And they needed to do it fast.

Ethan looked across at his teammates.

"I've got an idea."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_So, as promised, more whump. But there's even more to come! What is Ethan's plan, you ask? Well, just wait and see ;)_

_Much love x_


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry this one is only short again, however I think you may kill me for the ending of this chapter…._

_*ahem* _

_Anywho….. Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Jane asked as Ethan packed some items into the car. He turned to her and sighed.

"I'm honestly not one hundred percent sure, but it is the only option I can think of."

"And what makes you think it's going to work?"

"I've done something similar before. Granted, I wasn't putting my friends' lives at risk then, but it worked."

"What did you do?"

"Remember when we met up on the train in Moscow? The night the secretary was killed?" Ethan asked, leaning against the SUV.

"Yeah."

"Well, when Brandt and I were trapped in the car under the water, we were being shot at. There was no way we could get away without them seeing from their vantage point. I had this spontaneous plan where I lit a flare, placed it in the sleeve of a body and pushed it into the current. The body floated away and it drew their fire away from us so that we could escape."

Jane tilted her head to the side. "Why would that even work?" Ethan gave a small laugh.

"You sound just like Brandt. But as I told him, those men were shooting anything that moved. They saw what they wanted to see, which is what I'm hoping will happen this time too."

"Right." Jane nodded and the pair headed back inside, finding Brandt and Benji sitting on the sofa with some of their things.

"So you guys ready?" Ethan asked. Brandt stood up and clasped his hands together.

"As we'll ever be, I guess." He looked down at Benji, who joined him in standing. Both were nervous, hoping that the plan would work.

"Ok, so Jane and I will head off in five minutes. After about half an hour, another agent from IMF will come and collect you, he'll knock three times so you know it's him, before taking you to HQ where you will be safe. We'll meet you there once we've shaken our tail. You both have your trackers on you just in case something goes wrong; which it shouldn't."

"And you're sure this will work? What if they realise what's going on?" Benji asked. It was an honest and needed question. Assuming that a group of dangerous criminals would take the bait and follow Ethan and Jane's car was a big risk. But, as Ethan had explained, hopefully they would see what they wanted to see; the group of agents leaving the safehouse. That way, they could get Brandt and Benji out and to safety without risking them being followed. It was a rather big chance to be taking, however it was the only idea that any of them could come up with. Ethan gave a small nod.

"Ok, we'll go and get in the car. Call us when the car has arrived ok?" Jane spoke up. When Benji and Brandt both nodded, she approached them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Stay safe, guys."

"You too." Brandt offered her a small smile.

"Good luck." Benji took her hand in his before letting it go as she approached the door. Once the two agents were outside, Ethan locked the door and the pair climbed into the car, which was parked as close to the house as it could be. They didn't want to make it too obvious that only two people were entering the vehicle. This would either be the biggest success of a decoy or the worst failure. They just hoped that it would result in the former.

As they drove down the wide, isolated road, Ethan looked into the rear-view mirror and was relieved to see a dark car following them.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Benji and Brandt has heard the door lock and spent the next half an hour on the sofa. They avoided nearing the windows and barely spoke, not wanting to risk alerting anyone to their presence. It was still dark as the clock read that it was almost 3:30am. They hoped that they could get out while it was still night so that it was easier to go unnoticed.

Lights shone through the window and they heard the sound of a car engine. The pair sat frozen, waiting and hoping that it was their rescuer.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

That was it. Their getaway was there. Grabbing their things, they unlocked the door and opened it, finding another agent standing and holding out his badge to prove he was legitimate.

"You boys ready?" when the two agents nodded, he grabbed their bags and threw them into the trunk while Benji and Brandt climbed into the back seat of the SUV.

Twenty minutes into the trip, the car pulled over. They were on a remote road with no civilisation around them. The driver turned to them.

"Sorry boys, just need to make a quick pit stop. Stay here and do not move. I'll lock the doors so no one can get in or out." Brandt nodded at the man, hoping that he would hurry so they could continue on to safety. Hearing the doors lock with a click, he turned to Benji. He wanted to say something to his friend, but he wasn't sure what. No one had spoken since the trio left the safehouse, but he knew he needed to say something about what had happened. Benji hadn't mentioned the incident at all. Looking down at his clasped hands in his lap, Brandt took in a deep breath and was about to speak up, however when he raised his head, he saw a bright light behind the tech.

Before he could even utter a warning, the car lurched to the side as the other vehicle shoved it off the road. The car rolled repeatedly and it only took a few seconds for the lights to go out for the analyst.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_So? Good? Bad? Average? _

_Let me know!_

_Much love x_


	7. Chapter 7

_Ok, another relatively short one, but I really hope that it's worth it. _

_Some serious whump for our boys in this and some action for Ethan and Jane too :) hope I've sufficiently catered to whumpage needs for this chapter :)_

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Ethan and Jane drove along the road, relieved that they had received the call from Brandt telling them that they were in the car and en route to HQ. Now, the two agents just had to lose their tail so that they could join their friends. As they followed the winding roads that were scribbled through the middle of what felt like a blank canvas, they could see the sun beginning to rise, however the darkness was still almost complete. They hadn't heard anything from either Brandt or Benji, however they didn't expect to. As long as they were safe, they could wait.

Glancing in the rear-view mirror, Ethan noticed something.

"They're gone." He spoke softly, however Jane heard him clearly, turning on her spot to see that, as expected, there was no car behind them anymore. Sliding back to face the right way, she sank into her seat a little; relieved that thing might be going their way for once.

That relief was destroyed, however, when something jolted the back of the car and Ethan lost control. The car spun out, however remained upright. The duo froze as the car stopped, facing darkness. There was nothing there.

"What the hell?" Jane spoke to no one in particular, however her eyes widened when suddenly the darkness lit up. What had been an empty, dark space was now filled by the same SUV that had been following them. The pair remained in the car as they saw the doors of the other vehicle open. Three men jumped out and stood in front of the car. Ethan and Jane instinctively went for their weapons, moving slowly to avoid being seen. As Ethan felt his hand wrap around the cool metal of his gun, the men outside began to fire, smashing the windscreen in one quick blast. The glass shattered, sending small shards flying towards the agents; they tried their best to cover their faces however felt the sharp pain as tiny pieces lodged themselves in their skin. Once they had recovered, they threw open their doors, using them as shields against the bullets. Both windows were destroyed almost simultaneously and once the glass was clear, the agents made their counter attack. Firing their weapons, they took out two of the men swiftly. The third, however, was only given a wound to the foot and hand, causing him to collapse in a heap, his weapon falling and disappearing into the bushes. Approaching their final attacker, Ethan rested his foot on the injured hand, resulting in a scream of agony. Once the man got his breath back, however, he began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ethan asked, feeling Jane's presence behind him but not taking his eyes of their captive.

"You were only a decoy." He breathed between pain-stricken laughs. Neither agent were sure why it was funny, however their curiosity was satisfied when the man continued. "So were we."

Ethan and Jane didn't need more than a split second to realise what was going on. They knew straight away what that meant. Bending down, Ethan pulled the man to his feet, well foot, and yanked him to the car. Jane opened the back door and watched as Ethan threw him in.

"You drive." He ordered her. Pure malice was laced in his voice; it was entirely understandable, in her opinion. "I'll sit with him."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt knew this feeling all too well and hated it with a passion. The sense of elusive consciousness slowly returning was never a good thing to experience. Especially when consciousness had been taken from you in such a violent and painful manner. Before opening his eyes, Brandt recognised the smell of fumes and gas. That was not a good sign. The next thing that Brandt realised was that he was upside down; the seatbelt the only thing keeping him from falling. He felt the pain pulsating in his head caused by the wound that was so noticeably dripping blood of a vibrant red down to the metal below him. In the distance, he could have sworn he heard a gunshot, but he pushed that to the side of his mind as he concentrated on his situation.

His and Benji's situation.

Turning his head to the side, he saw the tech. His eyes were still closed and one arm, visibly dislocated at the shoulder, hung limp above his head. A gash that sat on his eyebrow dripped blood similarly onto the fractured frame of the car and his lip was also split. Before making another move, Brandt tried to take in a deep breath, however a horrific pain tore through his chest like a bolt of lightning. He figured he had at least one cracked rib. Breathing in through his nose instead, he found that all it achieved was the feeling of blood being sucked back in after it had escaped during the crash. This caused him to cough which, in turn, caused Benji to stir.

"Benji?" Brandt spoke softly, partially due to the pain in his head that intensified with even a thought. As he watched his friend open his eyes, he tried to force a smile; he wanted to reassure the younger agent that everything was going to be ok. But his attempt was foiled when he heard a menacingly familiar voice behind him.

"So nice to see you again, Agent Brandt." Will turned and saw Samuel standing outside the smashed window. "You know, we really have to stop meeting like this." Brandt was about to say something, when sounds of Benji struggling brought his attention back to his friend. When he looked over, he saw two of Samuel's men dragging Benji out of the wreckage. The analyst tried to move, but Samuel held on tightly to his jacket, restraining him so he could only watch the man being taken. In the dim light, he could see the tech fight to get away but they soon moved out of sight. He could still her Benji's agony filled yells and his grunts as he tried to free himself, however they were soon silenced.

There was a single gunshot followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Benji screamed no more.

"Benji!" Brandt screamed, despite every fibre of his being protesting due to the pain he was in. He felt his eyes welling up; his heart crying that it wasn't true, but his head telling him to be realistic.

He couldn't believe – he _wouldn't _believe – that Benji was dead.

As he fought the tears, he felt intrusive hands grasping at him, freeing him from his seatbelt as he was pulled from the car. He felt Samuel's lips against his ear, his breath hot against his skin.

"I told you, Agent Brandt, I told you that the next time you would come with me." As he came free of the broken vehicle, he felt a sharp prick in his neck, the world immediately going fuzzy.

The last thing he saw was a motionless figure lying in the grass on the other side of the car. He just made out the blonde hair before consciousness left him.

_I'm so sorry, Benji…_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_If you didn't want to kill me after the last chapter, I have a strong suspicion you may want to now… *runs and hides* _

_Much love x_


	8. Chapter 8

_Whoa guys, ease up on the threats there xD I feel like the next time I step out of my house I'll wake up in a room with all of you standing over me forcing me to write… LOL in other words, thank you for the reviews xD hahahaha_

_Anywho, enjoy! _

_P.S. please no kidnapping attempts on me, k? :P hahaha_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Pain.

Everywhere, there was pain.

Arms, legs, hands, head, neck…

Not a single part of William Brandt's body did not ache.

This was the first thing that the analyst perceived as consciousness began to slowly return. Like sunlight in the early morning, it crept in; starting at the edges, distant and dull, however it soon got closer, building up and up until Brandt was able to make himself aware of his surroundings. Leaning against a wall, his arms were pulled above his head and chained. He could feel the irritating sense of dried blood resting on his forehead and also between his nose and lips. It felt crisp and seemed to move with his skin. His ribs were causing him the most agony, though. He really hoped nothing caused one of them to puncture his lung; otherwise he would be in even more serious trouble. Even though he knew he was going to die here, he would much rather have a quick death from the bullet of a gun than slowly suffocate. He couldn't smell anything; at least not anything that could give him a clue as to where Samuel had taken him. He didn't remember much since those few moments in the car with Benji…

_Benji…_

Before he could even register, Brandt was hit by a freight train of emotions, as the sound of the gunshot that silenced his friend's cries resounded in his mind. He could feel the tears building up in his eyes before they had even opened, rolling down his cheeks, leaving a warm, wet trail behind them. His vision was filled with the last image he saw before passing out; Benji's motionless form. He could have sworn he saw the red of his blood painting his hair. They must have gone for a head shot – at least it would have been quicker for the tech. Brandt would hate to know that he suffered from the pain before dying. He tried to control his breathing, knowing that his grief would not bring Benji back and he had a strong feeling that he would need his energy for whatever Samuel and his men planned for him.

As if on cue, the door of the medium sized room he was in burst open. The footsteps of Samuel's expensive leather dress shoes echoed and he could see the man slowly appear into the dim light of the room. He was wearing a well-tailored suit which looked like it cost a week's wages; Brandt assumed he wasn't planning on doing his own dirty work.

"Hello again, Agent Brandt. Or can I call you William?" Samuel stopped in front of the agent and smiled. "Seeing as that is your name, isn't it?" he smirked before straightening up his jacket and pacing in front of the analyst. "So sorry about that little fender bender back there, we just didn't see you. But it was nice to finally get to have our proper catch up. Shame we had to lose someone along the way though, right?" Brandt's heart raced, pounding against his broken ribs with inconceivable force and he felt a tightening in his stomach. How dare this man talk about Benji? "I mean, he had served his purpose well, but by then he was just… shall we say… collateral damage. Couldn't have the guy running back to IMF and telling them everything now could we?"

"He was my friend." Brandt spoke with such rage in his voice that even he wouldn't have recognised the sound. "He had nothing to do with this."

"I know, but we needed someone to get you where we could find you." Samuel explained. This sentence only confused Brandt.

"What?"

"We needed to isolate you." The man shrugged. "Agent Wainwright was the perfect man. It's amazing the things people will do for money. But after he got you there, he was no longer needed. We didn't tell him the reason we needed you, but we knew the second he realised what he had done he would have gone and told your friends what was going on. One of my men shot him just before we found the two of you in your car. Oh it was a wonderful sight."

"But…"

"Oh, forgive me. You're probably feeling rather confused right about now." Samuel smiled and turned to the two men standing at the door. "Bring in our other guest." Brandt stared at the door, waiting for the men to return and when they did, he felt the next train of emotion hit him. This time, however, it wasn't grief. It was a mixture of relief and horror.

The two men were dragging behind them a slim figure with a bag over their head. The captive's heels dragged on the floor as the limp form was pulled in front of Brandt. A chair was placed in front of Brandt, about two meters away, and the figure was placed roughly into it. One man had to hold their hostage up, the flaccid body threatening to fall forward as the second man bound two wrists behind the chair. Once the man was secure, Samuel reached up and ripped the bag off, revealing the one person Brandt had never wanted to see more in his life.

"Benji…" the analyst whispered. He saw that his friend's eyes were closed as his head lulled forward, a piece of silver duct tape covering his mouth. As it did, Brandt noticed some dried blood mixed with the blonde hair on the back of his head. His shoulder looked like it had been reset. "But… I thought…" he couldn't form sentences. The shock of seeing his dead friend sitting in front of him, definitely _not_ dead, was almost too much for his already weak mind to handle.

"Let me explain." Samuel smirked, circling Benji's chair.

_Benji was dragged from the car and held in the iron grasp of one man. _

"_Get off me!" he shouted, almost animalistic grunts escaping his lips and he fought with his aching body to get free. He was pulled a good few meters from the wreckage before the man stopped, the second man circling to the front of the tech. He watched the man raise his gun and aim it at his head. He still tried to get free, despite it being futile, but he suddenly heard the man behind him speak. _

"_No, you idiot! Sam said we're not to kill him. Remember? We need him alive."_

"_Well, why'd he give me this then?" the second man motioned to the gun in his hands. _

"_Improvise?" with that, the man lifted the gun and fired it into the space besides Benji's left shoulder. The tech only had a split second to feel relief, however, as he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and everything went black. _

_The two men watched the agent collapse in an unconscious heap, blood seeping from the head wound that stained his blonde hair a shade of crimson that could even be seen in the dark. The second man reached out for Benji, but the first stopped him._

"_Wait." He held out his hand and they watched the car. They saw Samuel lifting out the other agent out of the car. Once Samuel had placed Agent Brandt in the SUV, the pair lifted the blonde agent into their arms and carried him to the car. _

"You are sick…" Brandt spat, tearing his eyes off the still unconscious tech to shoot daggers at Samuel. The other man shrugged his shoulders.

"We had to do what we had to do." He spoke as if it meant nothing. "We figured that 'killing' Benji was the best way for you to give yourself up entirely." On the word 'killing' he made quotation marks with his fingers, reminding Brandt of when Benji did that. He looked back down to Benji. He had been devastated when he had thought his friend had been killed, however right now, despite feeling relieved that the tech was alive, he also felt worried. If they had abducted Benji too, that obviously meant that they still needed him. He was, really, not much better off. He could see that the younger agent was beginning to slowly regain consciousness.

"Why did you bring him here?" Brandt asked. "This really has nothing to do with him. You have me, just let him go."

"Oh, William, you are so naïve." Samuel gave a small laugh. Lifting his hand out in front of him, one of his men handed him a gun. While playing with it, he began to pace again, stepping up and down in front of the two captive agents. "You see, I know that even though we have you, it will take a lot for you to just give up the information. We can hurt you over and over again, but resilient old you will just grin and bear it." With those words, Samuel lifted the gun and fired once into Brandt's right knee. The analyst screamed in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. Attempting to control his breathing, he forced himself to open his eyes again. Through the tears, he saw Samuel standing behind Benji, who was now fully awake, teasing the tech by stroking the gun down his temple and along his cheek. Benji looked terrified, his eyes wide watching Brandt try to recompose himself after the pain that had just set his body on fire. The analyst could see the question in the other agent's blue eyes: are you ok? He wanted to answer, but Samuel cut him off. "So you see, William, we had to come up with another plan. And seeing as we know just how much you want to look out for little Benji here, we thought, well… why not?" the trigger was pulled again, this time the bullet ripping through Benji's knee. Despite the gag, the tech managed to let out a cry of agony as the bullet burned through the flesh, leaving an oozing trail of blood drawing patterns down his jean clad calf.

Brandt struggled against the chains. Deep down, he knew Samuel was right. If they wanted Brandt to talk, they were going the right way about it. But that right way was oh so wrong. Samuel grinned at both agents.

"So. Let's get started, shall we?"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well? Are you still going to hunt me down? *covers face and whimpers* _

_Much love x_


	9. Chapter 9

_Ok, so here's your update. Sorry it's taken so long (well, it's not really taken that long, however compared to my usual update speed, it has lol). Work is taking up a lot more time than I'd like it to… But I hope this is worth the extra wait…_

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"So, Denny." Ethan paced around the chair their captive was tied to as he spoke, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt with lacerated hands. He and Jane, who stood leant against the wall of the room IMF had provided, had been seen to as soon as they had arrived back at HQ; the glass had been removed from their faces, arms and hands not long before they began their interrogation. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Denny remained silent, staring at the dismal, grey wall directly in front of him, teeth ground together as he tried to not let Ethan's pacing unnerve him. "Just to let you know," Ethan continued. "if you say hard way, as expected, we do it the hard way. If you remain silent, we will also do it the hard way. And…" the agent slammed his hands onto the arms of the chair and leant so his face was merely centimetres from Denny's. "If you say the easy way, we're still gonna go with the hard way, ok?" he then straightened back up and stood staring down at the man. "Take your time. We want you to weigh up all your options."

For a split second, Denny made to open his mouth, however stopped and sealed his lips again. Ethan sighed. "What a shame, I guess we're doing it the hard way, Agent Carter." He turned to Jane who slowly made her way across the room.

"Damn." She looked down at Denny's injured hand that was dripping blood onto the smooth floor and raised her eyebrows. "I just bought these shoes too."

Neither agent liked the concept of what they were going to do, however their feelings weren't of a high priority right now. Benji and Brandt's lives were.

Denny watched as Jane walked around him and took a tight grip on his injured hand. Forcing it onto the arm of the chair, she leant over him from behind, pressing her hands down onto his wrists. Denny tried to struggle, but the copious amounts of rope around his torso kept him secure.

Surely this wasn't what he feared it was.

He looked up to see Ethan approaching him with a pair of pliers.

_Shit… _this was exactly what he feared it was.

As Hunt approached, he took in a deep breath as subtly as he could. He really hated the idea of this. However, he would do whatever was deemed necessary in order to save his friends' lives. Gripping one of the fingers on the man's injured hand, Ethan brought the pliers to the nail and pinched the end between the tips. With a slow and agonising tug, he felt the nail loosen and after a few seconds, he came off completely.

Jane couldn't help looking away as this happened. Ethan had a better poker face than her, which was why she was glad to be the one restraining Denny's wrists; that way, she could look away without being seen. Denny's screams filled the room and echoed off the bare walls. She tried to block them out as she sensed Ethan going in for a second nail.

It was by the third that he finally cracked.

"Ok! I'll tell you!" he cried, his voice strained with the pain he was feeling. Ethan stopped and shared a glance with Jane before making an attempt at eye contact with Denny.

"You'll tell us where our friends are?"

"Yes!" he bellowed, his voice cracking and turning into a whisper as he repeated "Yes…"

"Good, I'm so glad that we've come to an agreement." Placing the pliers on the table, Ethan folded his arms across his chest and straightened himself out. As Jane let go of Denny's wrists, she watched in awe as her teammate seemed so fearsome and intimidating. "Where are they?"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

It was a cruel slap to the face that woke Benji up for the third time since Samuel began his little game. The tech opened his stinging eyes and looked across at Brandt. Clearly, the 'torture to get the information' was not exclusive to Benji. He saw that his friend had blood dripping down his arms to the shoulders from knife wounds that ran from his wrist bone to the crooks of his elbows; the gashes were cleverly sketched so as to avoid any major veins and arteries, allowing Brandt to bleed profoundly, yet not fatally. Along with a painfully torn cheek, he also had blood that had now dried clinging to his right shin from the gunshot wound. He assumed that his leg had gone numb by now, seeing as the tech's own had.

So far, Benji had tallied his own injuries to another head wound, a torn fingernail and a very broken nose. The worst injury for him, however, other than the gunshot wound to the knee, was the rather large gash across his torso. Part way through the 'torture', Samuel had decided to get creative, opening Benji's shirt to reveal his already bruised chest. He had grabbed a terrifyingly huge blade and went to work.

Starting at the Brit's left shoulder, he drew a track with the tip that ran across and under his collar bone before running down. He traced it down the middle of his ribcage and then finally finished it at Benji's right hip bone. The cut was not shallow by a long shot, however was kept superficial enough to not cause more damage than what Samuel wanted.

He remembered Brandt screams at this. The analyst had begged for Samuel to leave Benji alone, to do anything to him, however their captor wouldn't listen.

Brandt could only watch as his friend was cut up and broken like this, the tech screaming into the duct tape which made it harder to breathe now that his nose had been damaged. It had been just like in his dream. He had watched as Benji's eyes rolled back part way through the 'artwork' and his head lulled forward, his chin resting on his chest.

But now, neither of them had the energy to try to struggle. Waiting for whatever came next, no one – not even Samuel – expected what eventuated.

"Sir!" a young man burst through the door.

"What is it, Leo?" Samuel sighed, mockingly mouthing the word 'sorry' to Brandt and Benji before turning to the intruder.

"Sir, they've got Denny."

"Who has?"

Leo looked between Brandt and Benji before taking in a deep breath. "IMF."

Despite the fact that Samuel was facing away from them, both agents could notice the man visibly tense.

"Get the car." Samuel's voice was monotonous while maintaining a chilling level of maliciousness. "We're leaving."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_I know that both sides used the fingernail technique – that wasn't me being slack, I wanted to portray the parallels between Denny's torture and what Samuel was doing to Benji and Brandt. _

_Anywho, hope you liked it!_

_Much love x_


	10. Chapter 10

_Ok, well here's the next chapter. A few pointers from reviews I've received…_

_Regarding Samuel's motives for kidnapping Brandt, he wanted to get back at him the way he did the other agents, however due to him being the analyst, he figured he may hold some information they could use to their advantage. As that was not originally part of the storyline, I hadn't really planned on anything specific, so it was more a general thing. _

_Secondly, this is for me-Jessilian: I have tried to get inside Brandt's head a bit more in this chapter, I hope that I have done it well :)_

_And finally, there may not be as much direct Brandt whumpage right now, however I do have something planned for the next chapter (or possibly the one after that, not sure yet). Hold out, Brandt girls!_

_Anywho! Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The SUV sped through the early morning sunlight, kicking up dust around its wheels as the two IMF agents raced to their destination. They hoped that they would not be too late. They also prayed that Denny had been telling the truth and not leading them on a wild goose chase. He had given them directions to a building in the middle of nowhere. One would normally assume there would be nothing out there, however that is what they were counting on; a vast empty place far from anywhere would be the perfect place to keep two government agents.

As they got closer, they saw two black cars exiting the track which led to the building. If they hadn't been convinced it was Samuel initially, the fact that the cars increased their speed upon spotting Ethan and Jane made it beyond reasonable doubt. Ethan spun the wheel and followed them.

They were close now.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Benji and Brandt were bundled into the car, hands now bound in front of them with blindfolds over their eyes and duct tape covering each man's lips. Clearly Samuel wanted no chit-chat in the back seat.

Brandt rested his throbbing head against the windows. The blood on his arms and face felt overtly uncomfortable as he was starting to dry. His chest ached to no end as he tried to keep his breathing under control; he didn't want to aggravate his fractured rib, knowing the damage it could inflict internally. Unable to see, hear or make contact with Benji, the analyst could only hope he knew how truly sorry he was. He had thought the Steiner job had been put in the past years ago. He never expected any sort of repercussions from it, let alone all of this. The team he had previously worked with had been murdered; now his current team, and closest friends, had been caught up in it all. Brandt never wanted to put his friends in danger, regardless of the cause. When the issue with Samuel had started, Brandt had hoped to bury his head in the sand and wait for it all to blow over. However, all that had achieved him was two destroyed homes and a rather unsafe safehouse.

He couldn't remember just how much he had told Samuel, or what it was he had been asked. He hoped that he hadn't said anything too damaging, however he did know that he had said just about anything to stop that monster from hurting Benji.

Brandt wondered how the tech's wounds were. Watching as Samuel had sliced across Benji's chest like a canvas, twisting here, turning there, had almost made the analyst vomit. He had wanted to break free of his chains and break Samuel's neck with his bare hands. Brandt had lost all feeling in his right knee from the gunshot wound and the denim of his jeans were practically glued to his shun by the blood.

Despite the blindfold he wore involuntarily, Brandt could tell that it was now morning; the warm sun beating down on his face through the window was a stark contrast to what the agents were going through. The feeling made him feel safe and relaxed; it was really the only thing stopping him from losing it completely. He hoped that Benji was being blessed with the same feeling on his right. He wished that Samuel would just let him go. Benji really wasn't part of this. However, as much as he hated to admit it, he understood their reasoning for keeping him; from their first interaction with Samuel, it had been clear that Brandt wouldn't let anything happen to Benji.

_Great job of saving your friend, Brandt… _he thought to himself. The mental scolding was, in his own opinion, justified. He wanted to protect Benji from being hurt, however when he made it that obvious, he might as well have a neon sign over his head saying "Go after Benji. You'll get what you want."

Brandt gave a small sigh through his nose and listened to the sound of the engine as the car continued on its path.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Ethan and Jane sped up and managed to get merely a few meters behind the second car, however when the SUV did something unexpected, the agents found their vehicle smashing into the back of it. The crunch of the bonnet was deafening and the airbag from the glove box deployed. Ethan's however, did not, allowing the man to be thrown forward and hit his head painfully on the steering wheel. As he tried to stop the world from spinning, he noticed that Jane was already out of the car. Shaking his head, his brown hair flicking into his eyes, he grabbed his gun and followed his friend. He saw her begin to fight one of the men who had exited the other car, while another approached Ethan.

Ethan threw a punch which caught the man in his right cheek, the force so painful the man immediately spat out a tooth. He then went in for a second attack, which was countered by the man who rammed into Ethan's torso with surprising power. Ethan felt his back hit the side of the car and before he knew it, the man's fist was being introduced to his stomach.

Jane, meanwhile, was doing slightly better in her one-on-one battle. Her opponent had taken a kick to the jaw in Jane's first attack, leaving him slightly disorientated as the bones in his chin had shattered under her boot. She had received a nasty punch to the head, splitting her left eyebrow slightly, however she remained more clear-headed than he did. It only took a few more blows before he was confused enough to allow her to retrieve her gun and dispense the first bullet. As he fell to the floor, she rushed to Ethan's side of the car, pulling the trigger once again to leave his attacker lifeless.

Ethan looked across at her, blood dripping from his lip, and he nodded as a thank you before looking for the second car.

"Shit." He whispered. "They've gone." Seeing as their own car was in no fit condition to be driven, the pair jumped into the front SUV and took off after the elusive car that hopefully contained their friends.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt and Benji sat in forced silence as the car continued on its journey to who knows where. They could hear Samuel and Leo talking in the front seat, however it was only after about fifteen minutes of conversation that Benji picked up on something Samuel said.

"I think it's time we got rid of blondie."

Benji's heart dropped.

"Sir?" Leo sounded a little confused.

"He's been very useful to have around, however I feel he has outstayed his worth." The voice sent chills down the tech's spine. He wondered if Brandt could hear it too. "We'll make a stop in a few minutes and get it over and done with. They'll never find him out here."

Benji reached up and slowly lifted his blindfold so that he could see. Neither of their captors seemed to notice. He glanced at Brandt who looked completely deflated. Knowing the analyst, he was probably inwardly blaming himself for what had happened to the younger agent.

Benji knew that the second Samuel killed him, Brandt would be in even more trouble. Without the tech there to inflict injury upon, the full force of torture and pain would be thrust onto his friend.

There was no way Benji would let that happen.

Not in a million years.

He had to save Brandt. With a sudden surge of energy, the tech threw his bound arms forward and caught Samuel in the cheek with both fists. In the corner of his eye, he saw Brandt tense and fret, clearly wondering what was happening. The car began to swerve as Leo tried to balance his attention between watching the road and stressing about the sudden fight.

Benji saw Samuel reach for his gun, his stomach felt like it was competing for an Olympic medal with the amount of twisting it did inside him. The Brit reached out and grasped Samuel's hands in his own, pushing forward with all his might to keep the barrel of the gun away from Brandt. The trigger was pulled and he heard the glass next to Brandt's head smash. With a quick check, the tech was relieved to see that Brandt had taken cover by sliding down in his seat. Benji was glad Brandt wasn't trying to do anything to help. He'd been through enough.

The trigger was pulled a second time and before anyone in the car could realise what was happening, the vehicle veered off the road to the right. Blood seeped from the hole in Leo's temple and the three others panicked as the SUV flipped onto its roof.

The car did numerous somersaults across unknown landscape before landing on its wheels. Benji was unconscious before he had the chance to see the real danger that they were now in.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well, how was it? I plan on taking a literal meaning of the phrase you would use to describe the ending of my chapter… if you're confused, just wait and see ;)_

_My apologies for any errors, it's 2:20am here and I'm exhausted from my working week, so can you cut me some slack? *insert Renner puppy eyes here*_

_Much love x_


	11. Chapter 11

_Well, here you go. I really hope this is up to standards. _

_Oh and Alex, you mentioned something in a previous review which pops up in this chapter… Predicting things again… :P what are you like? Haha!_

_Anywho, enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Benji was the first to stir, able to open his eyes fully thanks to the blindfold having fallen off during the crash. His aching head was screaming at him, wishing that someone would just give them a break and let them recover. Shifting slightly in his seat, he noticed that Samuel was moving. He made eye contact with the man, who had blood oozing down one half of his face, running into his eyes and mouth as he grinned evilly at the tech. Benji froze, worried about what he was going to do. Samuel lifted his gun and aimed it at Benji's head.

Suddenly, before Samuel could pull the trigger, there was a jolt in the car. Both men jumped slightly as the unexpected movement and Samuel looked out of his window. Benji wasn't sure what he had seen, however he knew it couldn't be good when their captor scrambled across to the other side of the car and jumped out. As the man moved, Benji felt the car jolt some more, causing him to turn slightly and try to find out what had spooked Samuel so much. Glancing out of the window, he realised the true horror of their current situation. Through the glass, he could see straight down to a rocky surface that lay a good few hundred yards below. The only thing stopping the vehicle from falling was a small array of branches that spouted from the edge of the cliff. However Benji knew that they weren't going to hold the car for long.

Trying to avoid moving too much, he pulled the duct tape from his mouth and turned back to Brandt, who was slowly shuffling in his seat.

"Brandt? Can you hear me?" Benji watched the analyst lift up his blindfold and blink a few times as he removed his own gag.

"Mmmmph?" he still sounded half asleep. "Benji? What the hell happened? I heard someone start fighting and then there was s-some gunfire and… man I thought you were dead!" Brandt reached out his pain-stricken arms to hit Benji however his eyes widened when the car moved again. "What the fuck was that?"

"Uh, yeah, well… you see…" Benji began. "We're kinda in a bit of a sticky situation…"

"How sticky is sticky?" Brandt's voice was still filled with the recently dispelled unconsciousness, however Benji could hear the worry in it.

"Well, try car-hanging-off-a-very-high-cliff-and-if-we-move-we-may-fall-rapidly-to-our-deaths kind of sticky…" he offered a sheepish smile at the analyst who stared blankly at him.

"Oh…"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"Ethan!" Jane yelled, pointing out of the front window. Ethan looked and saw Samuel running across the road in front of them. Well, by running, they meant limping on what looked like a severely broken ankle. Ethan sped up and screeched to a halt in front of the man who froze. He initially assumed it was his men, however got a slight shock when he saw Ethan and Jane exit the car. He tried to run again, but Ethan was on him. Grabbing him from behind, the two men tumbled to the ground, Jane watching on as she pulled out her gun. She aimed it, however couldn't shoot due to the pair's movements. She would rather not risk hitting her friend instead. She saw Samuel grab at Ethan's gun and panicked.

"Don't move, princess." Samuel looked at Jane as he climbed to his feet and aimed the gun at Ethan. The trio fell silent as they stood, Jane pointing her gun at Samuel, Samuel pointing his at Ethan. No one knew what was going to happen, however neither agent could have predicted Samuel eating the gun. As his lifeless body collapsed in a bloodied heap, the crimson liquid pooling around his head, the pair looked at each other before noticing something in the distance.

"Oh shit." Ethan began to run, with Jane on his heels.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Benji and Brandt had attempted to get out of the car, however every move they made caused the vehicle to shake. Thus, the pair sat still, not knowing what to do.

Brandt turned to Benji, who was resting his head against the glass with his eyes closed. The two agents had moved past the point of pain; they had merely gone numb from the agony mixed with exhaustion.

"Benji, I'm really sorry, you know."

"Hmm?" Benji opened his eyes and looked across at him. "For what?"

"For getting you into this mess."

"Brandt…"

"No, Benji. I should have just given myself up when I had the chance. Back at your friend's house, when Samuel had that gun on you. I should have just gone with him."

"You know we would have come after you, though, right?" Benji's eyes showed seriousness and honesty as they made contact with Brandt's own. "I never would have let him get away with you, and I'm sure Jane and Ethan would agree."

"Why, though?"

"What?"

"The three of you have known each other longer than I have. Why would you risk everything like that?"

"Why not?" Benji spoke matter-of-factly, attempting to shift in his seat without casing too much movement. "Brandt, we may have been thrown together unexpectedly, but you're my friend. You're also Jane's friend and Ethan's friend too. We care about you. Do you really think that just cos I've not known you as long as I have Ethan that I would let some madman run off with you?" he scoffed.

Brandt gave a small smile at this. Sure, deep down he felt like they were all close friends, but hearing Benji say it out loud made it seem more convincing.

"Besides," Benji continued when the analyst remained silent. "I'm sure that in a few weeks' time, we will look back on this and laugh. Hell, we might even call it the most fun we've ever had, or something crazy like that." The two managed to laugh at this. Brandt was glad it was Benji he was stuck with, as he knew exactly how to cheer him up. After glancing down at his still bound wrists, Brandt looked across at Benji.

"Benj?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's get out of here, k?" Benji smiled and nodded, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for what they were about to do. Reaching a steady hand to the door, Brandt pulled on the handle and gently pushed the door. It opened with relative ease and the car only shook a tiny bit. Both agents unbuckled their seatbelts and Brandt slowly swung his legs over and out of the car. As he did, Benji began to slide over to the other side of the seat. He soon reached Brandt's back and the pair paused for a moment, allowing the moments of the car to stop.

Just as Brandt was about to drop his feet to the ground, everything went to shit.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Ethan and Jane ran towards the SUV; the closer they got, the further away it seemed. Just as they got within about ten meters of the car, they saw the door open and Brandt appear. However, merely moments later, they saw the car move.

In the time frame of about five seconds, they saw the car disappear into a cloud of dust, with no sign of Brandt or Benji.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

As the car began to fall, Brandt jumped from the seat and spun around. Benji was still making his way to the door. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. As he saw Benji slipping away, Brandt reached out his arms and grasped the tech's hands in his own, pulling the other agent towards him. The pull of the car, however, was too strong and he felt himself falling. Landing on the ground with a painful thud, he began to slide towards the edge, however he felt the foot of his uninjured leg get snagged on a tree root and he jerked to a halt. Bent at his waist, he hung over the edge of the cliff with his arms extended out, holding Benji's bound wrists tightly with his own. He looked past the tech and saw the car hitting the rocks below, exploding into a ball of fire upon impact. He tried to push the thought of that being them from his head and concentrated on keeping hold of Benji. He looked at the tech's eyes as he dangled, the Brit's feet kicking out to find purchase on the side of the cliff, hoping for something to assist in pulling him up.

Brandt had a momentary flashback to Dubai, when he had been hanging out of the Burj Khalifa holding onto Ethan. However, then he had Jane preventing him from falling. Now, all he had was a flimsy tree root. Sure, it was nice that something had gone their way and they hadn't fallen to their deaths thanks to a conveniently positioned piece of nature, however that could change any second.

Brandt waited for the root to snap and send them tumbling to their deaths, however he felt two sets of hands grabbing at him and it shook him from his daze.

"Brandt, we've got you." That was Ethan. He nodded slightly and kept hold of Benji, wanting his friend to be out of danger before letting himself relax. His chest was burning, however he tried to ignore it as Ethan and Jane helped him pull Benji to safety. Once the tech was lying on the surface of the cliff, Brandt rolled onto his back and the pain finally took hold. As Benji lay with his heart pounding in his chest, there was something else going on in Brandt's. When the tech rolled onto his side to thank his friend, his stomach dropped.

"Brandt?" he crawled over to the analyst, who was gasping for air as his lips turned a pale tint of blue. He looked at Benji with half lidded eyes and lifted a weak hand to his chest before letting it flop down next to his side again. Ethan watched as Jane knelt to check his chest, gently touching it to feel for any injury.

"Shit, he's got a fractured rib." She looked up at Ethan.

"Brandt, I need you to stay with me, ok?" Ethan joined them in kneeling and reached out for the analyst, scooping him into his arms. "We're gonna get you to a hospital." Jane helped Benji to his feet as the group rushed to the car. Brandt was placed in the back seat with Benji, his head resting on the tech's lap as Ethan began to drive. Benji placed a comforting hand on the analyst's forehead, feeling the burning of the skin underneath his palm.

"You're gonna be fine, Brandt. Everything's gonna be just fine." He felt a tear welling up in one of his eyes, however he blinked it away. He was not about to watch his friend die as a result of saving his life. Not a chance.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well? Good? Bad? Average? _

_Let me know! _

_Much love x_


	12. Chapter 12

_Ok, sorry that this one is only short, but I hope it's ok :) _

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt had passed out on the way to the hospital, sending a chill of worry to race through Benji, however when the tech found a pulse, he was relieved. They arrived at the hospital and Ethan rushed around to pull Brandt from the car. He was running with the analyst in his arms before either Benji or Jane could count to three. Once he had disappeared through the doors of the building, Jane helped Benji from the car. It was then, after the adrenaline of what they had just been through had vacated and was replaced with pain, that the tech finally gave in the alluring exhaustion that had been hovering and waiting for its opportunity to strike. His knees gave way and he was unconscious before Jane had even realised what had happened. Reaching out, she grasped his shoulders and led him to the ground as gently as she could. She was strong despite her fragile appearance, however his limp figure seemed to weight twice as much as normal and she landed awkwardly on her ankle.

"Help!" she yelled. "Someone please!" She looked down at him, noticing that his bloodied shirt had flopped open to reveal the horrendous knife wound. She gasped and couldn't tear her gaze away from it, lifting a finger to gently trace over the line left by the blade. It was only when a doctor shook her shoulders that she returned from her catatonic state and she felt Benji being pulled from her arms. Part of her didn't want to let him go, but she knew it was best for him so her grip slackened and she watched her friend be placed onto a stretcher. She was helped to her feet by a young nurse and followed them inside.

Ethan had burst through the doors and yelled countless things he didn't even realise he was saying as his eyes darted at the doctors who rushed to his aid. Once the motionless analyst was out of his arms, he ran his hands through his hair to stop them from shaking. He didn't take his eyes off Brandt's figure until it was impossible to be viewed; he even shifted slightly, rising onto his toes to try and follow him with his gaze. He stared as the swinging doors slowed and eventually came to a halt, transfixed by their movements. What broke him from his stupor was the sound of the doors behind him bursting open and the brief lull in noise was broken by more shouts. He turned to see a stretcher being wheeled past him acting as a bed for his other friend. He caught glimpse of copious amounts of blood on Benji's chest as the doctor's pushed him past, however was unable to see what had caused it before he too disappeared.

Jane appeared next to him, limping slightly and looking just as numbed as he felt. He reached out a still shaking hand to rest on her shoulder and she looked up at him. He wasn't sure what she had seen out there, but by the vacant and terrified look in her eyes he knew it hadn't been good. Their collective silence was broken when a doctor approached them.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but could you please come with me to one of the rooms so we can take a look at your own injuries. You can wait in there for news on your friends." He offered a warm smile and the pair nodded before following him.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The pair sat in their designated room waiting anxiously for news. Neither of them had been given the chance to know the full extent of their friends' injuries; that was what scared them more. It is worse not knowing. At least if they were aware of what their friends had been through, they would have some idea of what to expect; right now, neither of them knew what the two agents were in danger of.

The door opened suddenly and both of them stood immediately.

"Mr Hunt? Ms Carter?"

"Yes?" Ethan stepped forward with Jane close behind him. They waited for the doctor to begin to speak, each second seeming like a lifetime as they waited for the news.

"Why don't we have a seat." He motioned towards the chair. Ethan and Jane's hearts sank. That was never a good sign.

"The news isn't that bad, is it?" Jane asked the dreaded question as the pair followed the doctor's lead and sat.

"No, no. There is just a lot of information to take in on the extent of your friends' injuries."

"Wait, so they're ok?"

The doctor nodded. "They were both very lucky. Benjamin received a rather serious knife wound to his torso, we managed to stitch it up, however we had to give him a minor blood transfusion due to the amount of blood he lost. He had a nasty gunshot wound to the knee which was rather tricky to tend to, as did William. Amongst Benjamin's other injuries were a broken nose, two head wounds and a torn fingernail. Fortunately, he is a strong young man and we feel that he will make a full recovery." the doctor smiled at the visible relief on Ethan and Jane's faces before continuing. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but William suffered a cracked rib which, I'm assuming due to pressure being placed on his chest, punctured his lung. We were able to secure his rib back into place and work on the puncture. Due to the partial collapse of his lung, we will need to keep him in here for some time and run some ongoing tests, just until we can confirm that everything is back to normal. Like Benjamin, we managed to tend to his knee and head wounds and patched up the two gashes on his forearms. Your friends must have someone watching out for them, because I've never seen anyone receive wounds like these and pull through as quickly and successfully as they have."

Ethan took Jane's hand in his and tapped it, the pair sharing a smile before Jane turned to the doctor.

"Are we able to see them?"

"Well, I would recommend letting them rest. You two should get some too. It seems like you've all been through a lot. We'll keep a safe eye on them and you can come to see them in the morning, ok?" the pair nodded and stood, shaking the doctor's hand before heading out to their car.

They were just relieved that their friends were going to be ok.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well? Good enough for you amazing readers?_

_Much love x_


	13. Chapter 13

_Sorry this one has taken so long. I hope it is up to standards. I think this will be the end so I hope it doesn't seem too rushed. I just thought this might be a nice way to end it._

_Thanks for all your amazing reviews! They mean the world to me, as do you guys!_

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Five o'clock was when Ethan woke up.

Five thirty was when he met Jane in the lobby of their hotel.

Six o'clock was when they stood at the hospital reception desk waiting to be sent through to see their friends.

"Ah, good morning." The doctor approached them with a warm smile on his face and shook their hands. "You'll be pleased to know that both Benjamin and William are doing well." The two agents smiled at this; letting out the breath they didn't realise they had been holding.

"Can we see them yet?" Ethan asked.

"Well, we're just letting William get some rest after we started the PEEP treatment but-"

"PEEP?" Jane asked, inquisitively.

"It's just something to help his breathing get back to normal while his lung heals." When Jane nodded, the doctor went on. "As I was saying, he will need some rest, however I was just going to wake Benjamin up for his medication so you can follow me through to his room if you like."

The pair nodded eagerly and stayed on the doctor's heels as he led them through to Benji's room. They hadn't seen either of their friends since they had first arrived at the hospital so there was some apprehension in the lead-up to seeing the tech, but they were just glad that this time, they would see him knowing that everything was going to be ok. As they entered the room, they saw that Benji was still sleeping and he looked so much more peaceful than the previous night. His shirt was removed to display the thick layer of wrapping placed over the knife wound and his nose had been given some support. Under the sheet, they knew that he would have his leg bandaged to cover the wound to his knee and his left index finger was covered in a small amount of the white gauze to hide his healing nail. He also had a patch covering both the front and back of his head; each area had a small amount of blood which had managed to seep through from the gashes. Grabbing the two chairs and pulling them closer to the bed, they watched as the doctor gently tried to rouse the sleeping Brit. It took a few moments however they saw Benji's blue eyes flutter open soon enough and were relieved to see him give the doctor a small smile.

"Welcome back, Benjamin. How are you feeling?" the doctor spoke sweetly to their friend, who had not yet noticed their presence.

"Where's Brandt?" came Benji's response. It made Ethan and Jane smile seeing just how alike their two friends were. No matter what one had been through, they were always more worried about the other.

"He's doing fine, don't you worry." Benji nodded at the doctor's words and licked his visibly dry lips. "Now I'm just going to give you your medication, however you have some visitors." The doctor motioned with his head towards Ethan and Jane. They saw Benji turn his head and the weak smile appeared on his face again.

"Hey, Benji." Ethan said with a smile, shifting on his seat as Jane reached out to grasp the tech's uninjured hand in her own.

"Hey." Benji's voice was still groggy from his slumber however he still retained his little spark which reassured the two agents that he was going to be ok.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Once Benji had received his medication, the doctor warned Ethan and Jane that their friend would become drowsy so not to worry if he lost consciousness again. The pair sat with him as they discussed everything _but_ what had happened. They knew the events would have to be reviewed at some point, but at that moment in time, it could wait. They didn't want to cause Benji any anguish due to memories which could arise; memories of what he and Brandt endured at the hands of Samuel.

After a short while, they noticed that Benji's eyes were starting to get heavy and he was clearly trying to fight the imminent sleep.

"Get some rest, Benj." Jane said, standing up and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll still be here when you wake up."

"Wait…" the sleepy voice protested. "Do you have any paper? A pen?" Jane grabbed a piece of paper from her bag and Ethan fished a pen from his jacket pocket. They watched as Benji scribbled something onto it before folding it so that it was only the size of a coin. He then held it out for Ethan to take. "Give this to Brandt when you see him, ok?"

"Of course." Ethan looked from the small item in his hand back to Benji, who smiled before letting his eyes close. His hand fell limply and hung from the edge of the bed. Jane watched as their team leader took the pen from their friend and gently placed his hand back onto the mattress. With a smile, Ethan wrapped his arms around Jane. She let herself fall into his embrace and felt secure. Their friends were alive and Samuel was gone. Now all that mattered was that Benji and Brandt recovered.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt ran across the vast landscape as he saw the cliff edge getting closer. He could see, just on the very end of the ground, the pair of hands grasping to keep hold and he knew he had to be quick. He wouldn't let Benji fall. He got closer and closer.

He was almost there.

Suddenly, an invisible force pushed him back, sending him flying through the air. Landing painfully on his back, Brandt quickly rushed to his feet to see a figure leaning over the edge.

Maybe someone was helping Benji.

However, when the figure stood, Brandt realised that this person definitely did not want to help Benji.

Samuel rose to his feet and lifted Benji, holding him over the edge with one hand wrapped around the tech's throat. Brandt could see that the grasp was slowly cutting off Benji's air and he knew he had to do something before his friend either suffocated or fell to his death. Brandt began to run once again.

He was merely a few meters away.

Then, without warning, everything around him began to disappear.

"Brandt?" his name was being called. Whoever it was, they were in the distance and therefore it was unclear who it was. Brandt was unsure whether he wanted to find out who it was, worried that it was Samuel. He felt the fear that when he went to the voice, it would be their tormentor wanting to make him watch as more pain was inflicted on Benji.

After a few more moments, the voice got closer anyway and something tugged at Brandt's senses causing him to doubt that the voice was hostile. Reluctantly, he decided to follow the voice all the way to consciousness, the sound getting louder and closer as he went. Following a trip that seemed to last a lifetime, he managed to open his eyes to find himself in a hospital room.

With Ethan standing over him.

He blinked a few times to try and figure out whether he was imagining it, but when he felt Ethan's hand slide something into his own, he knew it was real.

"This is from Benji." The leader said, with a smile. As he watched the man sit in a chair next to Jane, who was also smiling, he opened his clenched fist to reveal a small piece of paper.

_From Benji… _Brandt thought as he unfolded the paper. As he glanced down at the scrawled handwriting that was so evidently Benji's, Brandt found himself smiling himself.

_Thank you, Will._

_YNWA._

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Ok, well I hope that ending wasn't too corny – I just wanted to tie it back to the start of the story. _

_Anywho, thanks for sticking with me throughout the story :) hope my first Brandt-centric fic was to your liking :)_

_Much love x_


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